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Recent Acquisitions Releases Press Release Archive |
New Exhibition at Tyler Museum of Art Features Works by Prominent Spanish Artist A new exhibition, Miguel Zapata: Works from the Texas Studio opened at the Tyler Museum of Art on October 14 and continues through January 30, 2005. The exhibition was organized by the Tyler Museum of Art. Zapata’s work is characterized by the presence of paintings, sculptures and architectural elements from the European past. Added to these images are gestural brushstrokes or other markings indicative of the present imposing itself upon the past. “In this visual conjuncture, the complex tension in the new millennium between the individual in the present and the cultural heritage of the past is provocatively expressed,” states TMA Curator Kentaro Tomio. Zapata’s works are executed in bronze, or on board, canvas or paper. In the latter instances, the surface is built up three-dimensionally by adding silica or marble dust to paint to produce a relief-like effect. “Ever present in his work is the artist as central character,” Mr. Tomio adds. “Sometimes Zapata makes his presence felt forcefully in the form of violent gestural brush strokes over the ‘reproduced’ historical images. Other times he is present in a more subtle but ubiquitous way in the composition, color and texture of the work.” Miguel Zapata was born in the Spanish city of Cuenca in 1940. As a child, he was constantly drawing and creating works of art. His father, however, did not encourage his artistic development and instead sought a legal career for his son. Miguel was enrolled at the Faculty of Law of the University of Madrid in 1957, but he was not attracted to his studies, preferring instead to continue developing his art. In 1958 he submitted a portfolio of drawings to a competition for a commission to decorate the parish church in a small Spanish town. Zapata won the competition and was called to the town of Huete to begin painting the church. He became embroiled in a dispute with the parish priest, however, and the priest refused to pay him for his work. The altercation with the priest and Zapata’s failure to complete his final exams at the faculty of law led to a break with his father and the beginning of a period as an independent artist in Madrid. In the 1950’s, a young generation of artists in Barcelona and Madrid had begun to explore the abstract styles dominating art in the rest of Europe and the United States. Zapata’s artistic style was influenced by several of these artists, including Antoni Tapies, Antonio Saura, Manuel Millares and Luis Feito. In 1964, Zapata moved to Paris and his art career was put on hold as he worked at a variety of nonartistic jobs. He returned to Madrid in late 1967 and moved in with his friend Antonio Requena, a physician who had an interest in painting. He offered Zapata lodging in exchange for works of art. This not only revived Zapata’s artistic career, but sparked an interest in medicine as well. He supplied drawings to the professor of anatomy at the University and assisted his friend in his medical practice. The Spanish art world had undergone several changes in the years that Zapata was away. His native city of Cuenca became a center of abstract art, attracting many artists from Madrid. Zapata left Madrid and returned to Cuenca in 1972, building a house on top of the house where the artist Millares lived. Zapata had an exhibition at Cuenca in 1979, and a second exhibition later that year at the prestigious Juana Mordo Gallery in Madrid gave another critical boost to his career. Zapata’s interest in architecture also found expression in his involvement with the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Madrid. His compositions became increasingly sculptural and increasingly concerned with architectural elements. Six highly successful exhibitions in the mid-80’s cemented Zapata’s reputation as one of the leading artists in contemporary Spain, a reputation he continues to enjoy today. Currently the artist divides his time between Madrid and Dallas, where he also maintains a studio. The 24 works of art and 13 sketches in this exhibition are from his Texas studio. The Tyler Museum of Art is grateful for the generosity of the lenders in making this exhibition possible. The Museum also thanks Valley House Gallery, Dallas for their support in bringing this exhibition to Tyler. The exhibition at the Tyler Museum of Art is being presented in conjunction with the October celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month and National Arts and Humanities Month. |